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The Pirate's Cave · The Bobbsey Twins at Cloverbank

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  Chapter twenty of The Bobbsey Twins at Cloverbank. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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  please visit LibriVox dot org. The Bobbsey Twins at Cloverbank by Laura Lee
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  Hope. The Pirate's Cave. While the Bobsey Twins and Sam standing near Missus
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  Bobbsey watched the peach grower suddenly jarred the branch on which had gathered the runaway
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  bees clustered about their queen like faithful subjects. Down drop the buzzing brown masts
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  of honey gatherers into the open hive box. You got most of em,
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  shouted Jason Stern, as with a quick motion he clapped the cover on the
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  hive and started drawing the cart away. Won't the bees get out the little
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  front door, asked FLOSSI, for she had noticed that the hive box had
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  a slit at the bottom. I stopped that up before I put the hive
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  on the cart, said mister Stern. The bees are safely caged now.
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  That is all but a few that got away. The children could see a
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  few of the insects which had not fallen into the hive, flying around the
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  tree and around the white box that now contained the queen and thousands of workers.
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  Perhaps these stray bees were wondering where their monarch had disappeared to don't will
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  your cart over toward the children, mourned mister Watson as he climbed down out
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  of the tree. Some of the stray bees may sting them. I'll be
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  careful, said the bee man. He puffed into the air around the hive
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  some smoke from the smoker, and this served to drive away the humming bees,
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  that, after circling about for a while, flew off in the direction
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  of the orchard. They'll go back to the old hive, mister Watson said,
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  as he took off his veil and gloves, for there was no longer
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  need of them. And the bees and the queen and this new hive will
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  start making the wax cells into which they will put honey a little later.
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  I'm glad you saw this swarm and came to tell me, boys, he
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  said to Sam and Bert. It's worth quite a few dollars, or will
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  be this fall when the hive is filled with honey. I like honey,
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  remarked Freddie, looking carefully at me, mister Watson to make sure no bees
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  had followed him. But none had. Well, I'll send you some when
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  you get back home, promised the peach grower. That was very interesting,
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  said Missus Bobbsey, as she turned to take the path across the fields to
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  Cloverbank. Bees are very smart little creatures, and they'll make you smart if
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  they sting you, said Bert. Oh that's a good joke, exclaimed Nan
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  with a laugh. I'm going to put that in my composition. You can
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  put in about your brother catching a big fish, too, said Sam.
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  He got the biggest one of the lot. Oh did you, cried Nan.
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  I'm glad of that, and I can write about it. Oh,
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  I do hope I win that prize, She went on. I hate to
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  write compositions, declared Sam to Bert. Don't you I sure do, was
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  the answer. I'd rather go fishing any day from a safe distance. When
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  they had gone back to the little bee farm, the children watched the hive
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  of runaways and their captive queen set down amid the rows of other busy insects.
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  The piece of wood that had blocked the front door was taken away,
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  and soon the members of the new colony of hun gatherers were flying out and
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  in. Then mister Stern brought out some honey from the crop of the previous
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  season and gave the Bobsey twins and Sam a treat. Lots has happened today,
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  remarked Bert, when Sam had gone home after getting his string of fish
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  from the cellar, and the children were sitting on the porch of the farmhouse
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  waiting for the evening meal, which was almost ready. I'm glad of it,
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  announced Nan, who was writing with an old big geography book on her
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  knees. I'm making a list of the different things, she went on,
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  and I'm going to put the best of them in my composition. Tell me
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  how you felt, Bert when you pulled out the big fish. Oh,
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  I felt fine, he answered with a laugh. I wish I could catch
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  a fish, sighed Freddy. I'm kinda tired of playing with my fire engine.
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  I'll take your fishing tomorrow, promised Bert. I know a dandy place
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  now, Sam showed me. I wouldn't go tomorrow, said missus Bobbsey.
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  Why not, Bert wanted to know, because that's the day Daddy promised to
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  take you to the woods for a picnic. Oh, so it is,
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  cried Bert. I forgot about that. We'll go fish me some other time.
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  Freddy all right, agreed the little boy picnics are just as nice as
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  fish. Nicer, I think, Flossi said, cause you can eat it
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  picnics, and he can't eat fish. Sure he can eat fish, exclaimed
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  Bert. What did I catch him for if they aren't to be eaten?
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  Well, I don't like to eat fish, Flossi went on, So I'd
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  rather have a picnic. We'll go tomorrow, promised her mother. Missus Martin
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  came out on the porch, looking from side to side anxiously. Have you
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  found your glasses yet, asked Nan. No, dearie, I haven't,
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  was the answer. And I feel quite lost without them. I can't read
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  a word. You children haven't seen them anywhere, have you? None of
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  the Bobsy's had, though. Led by Nan, Glossy and Freddy gave another
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  search about the house and the side porch, but the old lady's glasses seemed
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  to have vanished completely, and she did not know what to do about getting
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  another pair. I guess I'll just have to wait until my doctor comes back
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  in the fall, she said, with a sigh. The next day proved
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  to be a bright and sunshiny one, just the best kind for a picnic.
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  Missus Watson decided to take Baby Jenny with them on the outing, and
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  soon after breakfast, she and the little one joined the Bobbsey family in mister
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  Bobbsey's atto. They were to go to a glen about ten miles away there
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  to spend the day. In the glen, or little valley between two high
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  rocky places, was a waterfall much larger than the one in the brook where
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  Bert had placed his wooden mill. I wish I had made a bigger paddle
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  so I could fasten it under the big waterfall we were going to see,
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  said Bert, when they were almost ready to start. It would have to
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  be a big paddle, for there is quite a fall in Buttermilk Glen.
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  Missus Watson said, with a laugh. Why do they call it? That?
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  Asked Nan? Because someone thought the water falling over the ledge of rocks
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  looked like buttermilk, I suppose, was the answer. Do you want to
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  go to Nan? The mother asked Baby Jenny, who was holding out her
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  hands towards Burt's twin sister. Well, I guess you may so. To
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  her delight, Nan was allowed to hold the baby during part of the auto
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  ride to Buttermilk Glen. Baskets of food have been packed for The picnic was
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  to last all day and they would eat in the woods, the prospect of
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  which gave the twins joy and delight. We'll have more peaches picked ready for
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  you to sort when you get back, mister Watson called to the picnic party
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  as they drove away. I never had such a big crop. We'll help
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  you tomorrow, promised Bert. Buttermilk Glen was soon reached. It was a
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  picnic ground well known for miles around, though when those from Cloverbank arrived they
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  had the place to themselves. I hear the waterfall, cried Freddie. As
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  soon as they alighted from the auto at the entrance to the glen. The
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  road was too rough to drive all the way up into the place. Yes,
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  that's it, said missus Watson. It's very pretty when the water is
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  high, and in winter when it freezes, it is even more beautiful.
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  That I know someone who is sleepy, she went on in a singing voice.
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  I'm not quickly, cried Flossie. I didn't come here to sleep.
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  She means Jenny whispered Nan, and sure enough the little one's head was nodding
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  and her eyes were closing. Her mother wrapped Jennie in a blanket and put
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  her down under a tree, while mister Bobbsey got out the lunch baskets,
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  and the Bobbsey twins scattered here and there to play. You may have fun
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  for about two hours, and then we'll eat, said missus Bobbsey. After
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  lunch, you may play about some more before we start for home. With
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  shouts of delight, the boys and girls began exploring the picnic ground. They
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  had never been there before, and there was much to see and admire.
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  We'll climb up the sides and get to the top of the waterfall after lunch.
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  Bert decided, maybe I can fish up there. It's a big fall,
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  too big for my little paddle wheel in the brook, but maybe I
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  could make a big wheel that would turn. Here a path led up one
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  side of the cliff, a little distance below the fall, and up this,
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  Missus Watson said, the children could make their way to the top of
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  the fall, but there was plenty to see down below, and what with
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  exploring, finding pretty stones and waiting barefooted in little pools, The four had
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  lots of fun. After a time, Bert and Freddy found themselves some distance
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  up in the glen, which divided into two parts, one way the stream
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  ran down the center, and another part where it was dry. Flossie and
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  Nan had gone back to their mother and father, who sat talking with Missus
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  Watson. Look there's a cave, suddenly, exclaimed Freddy, pointing to a
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  dark opening in the rocky side of the gorge. So it is, agreed
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  Bert, a regular pirate's cave. I'll say, let's go in, Freddy
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  hesitated. A moment, the place looked dark and not very inviting. Oh,
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  I don't guess I want to, Freddy said, Well, I'm going
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  in. Bert declared, I want to see what's there. Nothing can hurt
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  you, he went on, even if a pirate was there, once he's
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  gone. Now you go in first, and then maybe I will, Freddy
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  suggested. So Bert disappeared into the blackness. Freddy was just going to ask
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  if everything was all right, when Bert suddenly shouted, oh, oh,
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  I'm falling. Oh Freddy then the older boys. His voice died away,
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  and Freddie was left alone outside the pirate's cave. End of chapter twenty